Skate 2
Skate 2 is a sandbox skateboarding video game developed by EA Black Box and distributed by Electronic Arts as a sequel to the 2007 game, Skate. Skate 2 was released in January 2009 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Plot Skate 2 is set five years after the events in skate. During Skate It, many mysterious disasters (identified as earthquakes in Skate 2) devastated the city, leaving it in ruins and a mass evacuation of the city. The city has been changed to a noticeable standard, but if gamers have played the previous games, they may recognize familiar spots. The new city has been named New San Vanelona, or New San Van for short. However, instead of a skaters paradise the city used to be, security has been stepped up by Mongo Corp in order to protect the best parts of the city. Most of the good skating spots have caps on them to prevent skaters from skating on them, and security guards almost everywhere else. The player progresses through the story by completing challenges for magazines like The Skateboard Mag and Thrasher all before shooting a cover photo as a final mission for each magazine. The player also participates in Vert and Street Contests, as well as races. Throughout the game the player can choose board, truck, wheel, and shoe sponsorships from well-known skateboarding brands. Development In February 2008 EA games president Frank Gibeau spoke in a presentation for industry analysts stating that the original game posted bigger numbers on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 than rival Tony Hawk's Proving Ground. Because of these surprising numbers the company had decided to begin work on a sequel. Then in May 2008 the sequel was officially announced, however no details were released except the platforms it would be released for, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. EA Black Box, the developers of the game based in Vancouver, have noted that areas of New San Vanelona have more distinct architectural connections with the three cities: Barcelona, Spain; San Francisco, California; and Vancouver, British Columbia; than in the previous title of the series. A demo for Skate 2 was released for the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Marketplace on January 8, 2009 and for the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Store on January 15, 2009. The demo introduces players to a small section of New San Vanelona, Slappy's Skatepark, where they can play around with the unique controls and customization options. Gamers also got a first glimpse of the deep single-player story and challenges. Two offline Party Play modes were also included: Thrasher's Hall of Meat and Spot Battle. Downloadable Content Downloadable content has been made available for the game for purchase through Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Store. ;Time is Money Pack :Unlocks all the parks and additional content normally obtained through completing the main story mode. ;Filmer Pack :Gives the player more options for control of the camera during video clip editing. Also, new gestures and gear are also packed into this package. ;Fantasy Factory :Opens the factory, as well as an area outside the plaza. It is based on the MTV Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory TV show ;San Van Classic Pack :Includes the Community Center, Elementary School and Parkade locations from the original Skate. ;Throwback Pack :A free downloadable pack that unlocks retro gear and classic gestures. ;Maloof Money Cup :This pack (which is based on the actual Maloof Money Cup) includes new Vert and Street challenges for Career Mode, along with new online Freeskate activities. It was released on July 9, 2009, a day before the 2009 Maloof Cup began. Reception Skate 2 was well received by many publications and websites. OXM scored Skate 2 as an 8/10, saying it had good control but will be too hard for casual gamers. Game Informer gave the game 9 out of 10 in their February issue, stating that Skate 2 accomplishes the impossible task of making old gameplay feel fresh. They said that while some new tricks were added, the game built upon the original and improved its formula. Gamespot rated it a 7.5 saying that the new content was welcomed but the walking and moving objects were clumsy at best. IGN scored Skate 2 an 8.3/10, praising Black Box for building upon their winning formula and keeping the gameplay fun. They explained that while the presentation is good, the story seems weak at times and the graphics are not as sharp as they could be. Links *Skate official site Category:2009 video games